


durry

by BlueTeranosaurus



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, College AU, F/F, Freeform, I guess hahaha, Soulmate AU, expect all the main ships, i don't know how to tag, they're kinda ooc?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 16:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14501214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueTeranosaurus/pseuds/BlueTeranosaurus
Summary: It was always told to her that soulmates were made for people whose souls were connected. They were born to find each other life after life, no matter the circumstance; a fairy tale already crafted by the hands of fate. Forever with your soulmate is something every person on earth could ever wish for, and Sonoda Umi (even in her strong denial) isn't an exception to that.But why is she falling for a girl whose story is made for someone else?---"You'll only be able to smoke once a month. If I catch you breaking that rule, we'll split. Deal?"





	durry

**Author's Note:**

> hi! welcome to my first love live fic (or my first fic ever)!
> 
> this project is still on its way, as i've just created it on the spot. it still has some loopholes and some grammatical errors here and there. (please notify me if you see them!) i've always been charmed by the nozoumi ship and i'm kind of disappointed that it's a rarity so i decided to create one myself hahahaha
> 
> i hope you enjoy! and your reviews (or criticisms) are really appreciated! :D

Maybe she was wrong to begin with.

Even now, as she laid on her comfortable yet empty bed, trying to close her eyes and get some sleep.

But she knew (she felt like it, at least) that it wasn't just a coincidence either.

She was young, full of life, and swept in the mad search for love. Yes, the young poet named Sonoda Umi was willingly looking for someone to stay by her side for the rest of her days. To her close friends, it was something unusual to see, for the blue-haired archer was more of an introvert and always exclaimed "sh-shameless!" at romantic things. But the years since high school seemed to wear off, and she became much bolder and open to romance.

Sonoda Umi changed.

She didn't know why, but she (sort of) knew how. Her exposure during college through new people and new environments was what she thought had made changes in her usual flow. The old Umi was still there, but at the same time, she wasn't. And she thought it was for the best.

She liked this new version of herself.

But perhaps this stark contrast was what soon paved its way for her greatest downfall.

The fact that Umi thinks about how her life would soon topple over wasn't a secret.

Sometimes, as she nearly drifts into sleep after hours of hard work and the sun's bright rays nearly breaking the dark sheet of night, Umi thought of how her life would be ruined, the seemingly strong pillars of her will breaking under the weight of her problems piled one by one. Will it be her losing her scholarship on her final year in university? Will it be her getting fired from her job that was the only thing supporting her financially? And as almost as ridiculous as Umi's thought went about, will it be the future love of her life disappearing one way or another?

Umi cracks a bitter smile, her eyes so exhausted and hurt, tired from seeing the world she never wanted to exist in again.

_First love..._

The way Umi found her first love was unusual, per se. Her supposed other half didn't fall into Umi's arms down the staircase or confessed to her like in those shoujo mangas she used to read.

Umi met her first love in a club.

Funny.

Umi chuckled emptily as her fingers traced the vibrant colors of gray, yellow, and blue that started from her left wrist and disappeared into the sleeve of her shirt. That day was easy to recall, easy to remember all those words and vivid details, but at the same time, it was hard. Hard because she didn't want to feel all those emotions flood back into her system.

See, Umi's first love wasn't her soulmate.

Soulmates were born with swatches of color, blending with against each other on a certain part of their body. Once they meet, these swatches would form slowly form a tattoo, mirroring each other from both of the soulmates' bodies. To Umi, it felt like a painting that an artist hasn't completed, a messy diptych with its colors yet to be blended and outlined. It was a beautiful sight to see; couples happily walking down the streets, flaunting their tattoos or simply just unafraid to show the special bond that they form.

Umi wasn't in a rush to find her soulmate; in fact, she couldn't care less about meeting them. She was more focused on finding who she really is. Umi didn't know how to identify herself after drowning herself in her studies just to please her parents. Now that she was in college (far away from her parents, Umi happily thought), Umi wanted to discover the world around her, to taste adventure, to take on dares, anything that would give her the thrill of enjoyment and life. She had even gotten a part-time job as a bartender at a local bar, even when her parents' expressed their disdain.

Everyone who knew her before college would've thought her mad, but Umi simply disregarded them. This was her life now, and she would make her own choices (and be independent and do all that she wished. Though a nagging thought at the back of her head whispered:

 _"You had a name for yourself when you still followed your parents' orders. Who are you now without them?"_ ).

Umi remembered those moments like it was yesterday: there she was, 8 PM on a Friday night, and the bar had just opened a few minutes ago. And ever since those few minutes, the crowd had steadily grown and Umi just stood there behind the counter, watching the shenanigans before the first customer ordered their drink. Eli Ayase (her gorgeous, genius, and one hell of a cocky co-worker) had just entered with an air of confidence, a gaggle of girls behind her, squawking some sort of language while fawning over Eli.

Umi rolls her eyes and tosses a dish towel in Eli's direction, the latter catching it in her clumsy stance.

"What was that for?" Eli laughs loudly, her words nearly drowning within the bass of the music.

"It means," Umi yells with a barely concealed smile, "get to work!"

Eli gives a toothy grin, waving her away, "Will do. Let me just get ready."

It was rather amusing for Umi since Eli was the veteran around the area whilst she was just a newbie, and it almost looked as if their roles were reversed. Soon, Eli walks into the back room behind the counter and the girls continue their talks, squealing after every few sentences. Umi shakes her head and tends to another customer, who seemed to be in a flirtatious mood. By then, it was close to 9.

And by the time the digital clock on the wall behind Umi hits exactly 9 o'clock, her life begins to churn.

(Although she probably never noticed. But looking back on it now, it felt as if fate - of all things that she never believed in, had a hand in this.)

The small crowd of people soon turned into what seemed to be a low-key rave party (how should Umi know if it was a rave party or not when she's never been there to notice - let alone partake in those in the first place), and everyone had been jumping and grinding to the beat.

That was when the doors opened and a familiar mop of orange could be seen amongst the bobbing heads. Umi lets out a tiny smile before Eli could see it.

Honoka was a rather frequent visitor of the bar, to say the least. But before all of that, Honoka didn't even want to be here in the first place. Umi smiles as she remembers the first time the orange-haired girl stumbles in with an expression that showed confusion, slowly morphing into one that plainly said "seriously?". It turns out the girl wanted to visit the cafe that the bar was before evening. She probably didn't know the time schedule that the cafe had, and instead came in assuming that the cafe was still open.

Since then, Honoka dropped in more often, discovering that the only thing that could cure her stress from college was a night out and a few drinks.

Usually, she'd drop in by herself or bring a few close friends that Umi could easily recognize but tonight Honoka decided to bring in a new girl.

It was impossible to forget those emerald green eyes that peered curiously in her direction as Honoka walks toward Umi with a smirk. It turns out that the girl - Tojo Nozomi, was rather new to the city of Otonokizaka and its infamous university, having just moved in. Honoka decided to take the first move and, well, brought the shy girl into the bar to meet new people. Thankfully, the orange-haired girl was doing most of the talking or Nozomi, as Umi assumed, would have a stuttering fit. The girl looked so timid that Umi assumed that the girl was silent her entire life before Honoka barged in with her adventures and what-not.

So when Honoka leaves the both of them to join the crowd, Umi leans closer to Nozomi, her elbows propped on the bar counter. "I assume it's your first time to go out to a place like this?"

Umi tried hard to look so nonchalant and kind but when Nozomi blushes and tries to choke out a reply, all she could do was feel a bit guilty.  _So much for acting cool_ , the blue-haired girl thought, watching Eli leave the counter out of the corner of her eye. Umi frowns; she'd only been there for a few minutes before leaving, probably to flirt with a customer or something. She sighs;  _I'll have to scold Eli later_.

"I, um, it is actually," Nozomi replies in such a tiny voice that Umi would've missed it if she hadn't been leaning close. "I'm usually alone so this is a new experience."

Umi smiles, "Well, having a first experience here isn't bad. And I'm guessing you've never tasted alcohol huh?"

Nozomi shakes her head, her lavender hair brushing softly against her face. Umi nods, quickly grabbing a medium-sized glass from under the counter and immediately turns her back to start mixing ingredients. It didn't take long for the process to finish, and Umi pours a lime-green concoction into a glass, then placing a toothpick with round scoops of watermelon and melon on top of the glass. Nozomi lets out a tiny gasp in awe, and Umi smiles in satisfaction.

"It's called a Melon Ball, and you won't be able to taste the alcohol there. And you don't have to worry about paying, it's on me," Umi pushes the glass gently towards Nozomi. The purple-haired girl hesitates, her bottom lip lightly tucked between her teeth, but slowly brings the glass closer to her lips, eventually tasting the drink that Umi made for her. Nozomi could barely taste the alcohol and ends up taking two gulps more, half of the drink now gone.

Nozomi's smile was more sincere than the ones she had ever seen throughout her shifts at work, and Umi felt her heart skip a beat. In a temptatious and nearly unruly place like this, it was rare to see something out of genuine elation rather than the usual lascivious ogling and lecherous smirks. It was something that made Umi felt strangely content. Perhaps it was nice to see someone with innocence for a change?

The night moves rather slowly, but with Nozomi keeping her company while she served the customers made everything felt weightless to her. Umi has to admit, she's never felt this way before, not even before her time working at the bar. It's making her confused, but seeing Nozomi's flushed cheeks and bubbling giggles leaves the thought to slip away temporarily.

In a few hours, after most of the crowd had gone home and around four empty glasses of Melon Ball, Nozomi was soon leaning against the counter drowsily, her eyes half-lidded. Honoka was already knocked out an hour prior and Eli brought her home this time around (ever since Honoka became a regular patron and easily wastes herself at every visit, Umi and Eli made a schedule to know whose turn was it to bring Honoka back to her dorm). Umi decides to bring Nozomi to the back room where she could rest on the bed for a bit. Usually, whenever someone gets too drunk or became sick and started vomiting, she would bring them to the back room to have the guests rest before she'd eventually have them kicked out.

Nozomi was a different case.

Umi wraps the lavender-haired girl's arm around her neck and places her other free hand securely around Nozomi's waist, carefully bringing her to the back room. It was rather awkward for Umi, as Nozomi wore a matching black and white themed pinafore with a gray cardigan over it. The skirt, Umi deemed, was a bit above the knees (Umi sighs;  _old habits die hard_ ). As she lays Nozomi gently on the clean sheets of the mattress, she hopes it's not too hard for the latter to notice. Luckily, the moment Nozomi gets comfortable on the bed, a silent groan escapes her lips, her eyes shut and her breathing in a steady rhythm, a clear sign that she has now fallen into a deep sleep. Umi decides to bring her to her own dorm since the blue-haired girl didn't know where the now asleep girl resided.

She finishes up what she could do on her near-ending shift before Eli comes back, her neat ponytail a bit loose and messy. Umi assumes it's from the way back; after all, it's hard when you're dragging a drunk person back to the dorms as quickly as you could.

"Hey, Umi," Eli begins with a groggy tone, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand. For a moment, Umi considers if she should pass the dishtowel in her hand to Eli for her to use. "Should we close early tonight?"

Umi raises an eyebrow as she wipes one of the glasses on the bar absent-mindedly, "You sound like we own the bar when we're the ones working here. And technically, we're still a bit too young to own one ourselves."

Eli rolls her eyes, "I know, but I just really want to get home. Plus, there's like, two customers left. Yazawa-san won't mind."

Umi looks around and for once, Eli was actually right. The only people remaining besides the bartenders were two drunken men, obviously dead to the world as the only support their weakened bodies have are the trashed loveseats. How come she was able to notice it now?

"Very well," Umi sighs, dropping the dishtowel. "Call the bouncer. I'll get Nozomi ready."

Eli's sapphire eyes widen, her mouth slightly agape, "Wait, hold on. Honoka's new friend is here? And she got drunk?"

"Yes. I had to leave her in the back room so I could take care of the other customers."

"I'll take her home for you if you want. I wouldn't want to put another burden on your shoulders."

In situations like these, Umi would let Eli take Nozomi back to the dorms, or even the blonde's own home. But her stomach seemed to drop and her jaw tenses as if it was trying to refuse. It was rather strange but Umi believed in her hunches, so she shakes her head. "It's okay, I'll take her back to my place. Just close the bar for tonight."

Eli nods and walks away, leaving Umi to arrange all the items under the counter. Once everything was neatly organized, she walks toward a metal door with a sign that read EMPLOYEES ONLY. She pushes it open and strolls inside, unsurprised to see Nozomi still in her deep slumber.

 _She looks cute_ , Umi thinks as she lets out a little grin, before placing a hand on Nozomi's shoulder, rousing her.

Nozomi hums in reply as her eyes flutter open. Her green eyes were glassy, evident that she was still under the influence. Umi sighs as Nozomi shuts her eyes again, letting the girl roll onto her side.

"I'm going to take you to my place, alright?" Umi says as she digs her arms under the sleeping girl's knees and back, gently hoisting her up. As if Nozomi were still conscious, she gives a tiny whine and snuggles her face against Umi's chest. The bartender blushes, heat crawling up the side of her neck.

 _I can't get distracted now_ , Umi muses in frustration, kicking the door open with ease, _I still have to take her back to my place._

_... that sounded dirty._

By the time Umi calms down and leaves the room, she sees the bouncer lifting the two drunken men outside with Eli simply opening the door for him.

"Oh, Umi!" Eli calls out and walks over, her ocean blue eyes briefly glancing at the sleeping girl in her arms. "I was just about to get you."

"Yeah," Umi sighs a bit before readjusting Nozomi's position, making sure that the latter doesn't fall. "It was kind of difficult to get her to leave..."

"Are you sure you don't want me to take her instead?"

Umi ignores Eli's almost pleading look. "It's okay. I'm sure Honoka could find her easily since we live in the same dorm."

The blonde nods slowly before opening the door for Umi.

"Well, I'm sure you still have quite a bit to walk. I don't want to stall you," Eli smiles and nudges her head towards the exit. Umi grins.

"Thanks Eli."

"No problem. Just don't get too wild- ow!"

Umi stalks off, leaving Eli to rub her shin in pain. Nozomi merely shifts in her arms, murmuring something the blue haired girl couldn't hear.

The midnight air was cold against Umi's skin, despite her uniform consisting of a plain, long-sleeved dress shirt, a black vest, and dark jeans. At least Nozomi was warmer, due to the alcohol and with her gray cardigan covering her upper half. The pale yellow radiance from a nearby street lamp shines against them, illuminating the sidewalk and the asphalt. Somehow, with the dim light, Nozomi seemed rather... charming. Of course, every person has it's own charm, but to Umi, she feels like she could write a thousand poems about the slumbering princess in her arms, despite the fact she had met her today.

"Honoka would kill you if you didn't stop ogling!"

She whirls around and sees Eli locking up the door to the bar, a cheeky smile on her face. It was then Umi realizes that she had stopped in her tracks (and hasn't gone far). Out of embarrassment, Umi's face flushes and speedwalks, hoping to God that the blonde didn't notice.

Unfortunately, Eli guffaws and Umi ends up jogging to at least keep some of her pride until tomorrow. She's desperately praying that Eli wouldn't tease her about this.

Though she's sure the blonde wouldn't hesitate to tease her at all.


End file.
